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BBPS approves new administrator

With a unanimous vote by the Board of Education, the Broken Bow School district will benefit from the addition of a new administrator beginning next fall. A 210-contract was approved at the April 18 meeting for Kirk Crawley as Assistant Elementary Principal, with a salary of $65,500. Crawley has served the district as elementary teacher for more than 30 years. The hiring of Crawley for the assistant principal position was prefaced by a change in the district’s contract with ESU 10. While the board approved renewing the contract the district currently has with ESU 10, they opted out of the area in the contract pertaining to service for special education. The SPED supervision for the Sandhills Educational Services Cooperative previously handled by ESU 10 staff will now be taken on by Elementary Principal Kim Jonas. With those extra duties the administration suggested hiring an assistant principal to help Jonas. The selling point of the idea to the board was the fact that in the long run, the district will actually save about $8,000 compared to what is currently paid to ESU 10 for those services. Jonas also noted the added stability the position will provide the students and staff of having an administrator in each elementary building at all times. “Of course there will be times when we are both at the same meeting at the same time and things like that, but the majority of the time this will allow for an administrative presence in each building,” said Jonas. While the board stated they regretted losing Crawley in the classroom, Jonas pointed out that “he will actually have a more direct influence over an even great number of students now.” The new duties for both Jonas and Crawley will begin in the 2011-12 school year. The assistant principal was not the only new position approved by the board Monday. On a 5-1 vote, Christine Wieter was hired as elementary art teacher. This is a new position to the district, however one they had little choice in. One of the requirements of Rule 10, the state’s accreditation rule, is that all K-6 students receive a minimum of 40 minutes of art class per week. This requirement is a recent change in Rule 10. The position will allow the district to meet this requirement to remain in compliance for state accreditation. Jonas says the new position will also provide additional support for reading at the primary level and replace planning time for elementary teachers that have been restricted by facilities issues. Matt Haumont was the lone no vote on the motion to approve the contract for Wieter. The board also received the resignations of four teachers at the meeting. Those teachers are: Michelle Miller, business teacher; William C. Roe, middle school counselor and P.E. teacher; Sara Tolstedt, English teacher; and Erika Kappal, fourth grade teacher. The board approved a slight increase in meal prices for the 2011-12 school year. The suggested price increase comes following a meeting between the board’s Community Involvement Committee and representatives from Lunchtime Solution. Beginning next fall the new meal prices will be as follows: *breakfast - $1.15 ($0.05) increase) *elementary lunch - $2.20 ($0.10 increase) * MS/HS lunch - $2.40 ($0.05 increase) * 9-12 premium lunch - $4.05 ($0.05 increase) The next regular meeting of the school board will be May 16 at 5 p.m.